Assessing the capacities of rural communities to participate in local economic development initiatives of the Great Kei Local Municipality

Abstract

Background: In local government, rural communities are encouraged to participate in local economic development (LED) initiatives such as cooperative development and small-scale farming programmes. However, these communities lack the capacities to participate effectively in these LED initiatives. There is limited research on how the capacities of rural communities to effectively participate in LED initiatives can be measured.
Aim: This article aimed to assess the capacity of citizens to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Municipality.
Setting: This article draws on the capability approach, human capital and social capital as analytical lenses to analyse the capacities of rural communities that participate in LED processes in the Great Kei Local Municipality (GKLM).
Methods: A qualitative case study research methodology was adopted for this research. The purposive sampling and semi-structured interview methods were used to select and collect data from 35 participants from Qumrha, Morgan Bay and Cintsa within the GKLM. The collected data were analysed by using the thematic analysis method.
Results: The findings indicate that citizens’ lack of knowledge and skills, as well as lack of access to social networks and connections for LED, affects their ability to participate; the GKLM lacks adequate financial, human and technical resources to build the capacity of rural communities to participate effectively in LED processes.
Conclusion: The article concludes that all the human, social, and institutional capital challenges are affecting the effective implementation of LED initiatives in the communities within the GKLM.
Contribution: This article contributes to LED academic and policy implementation debates by demonstrating how rural communities can be capacitated to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes of LED initiatives of the Great Kei Local Municipality.